13 Commonly Believed Facts That Are Actually False

 Suggested by: smellsbells

The belief here is that the potatoes, which are black when removed, work like a detox and absorb/remove toxins from your body via the soles of your feet. I’ve personally seen this home remedy on TikTok a few times in the last handful of months. Typically, a creator cuts a potato into thin pieces, then places a couple slices of it on a sick (usually someone with a fever or flu-like symptoms) loved one’s foot. Hours later (usually overnight), they remove the potatoes from their feet and find that the part of the potato that touched the person’s foot is blackened, and that their loved one is feeling significantly better.

In actuality, the potatoes turn black not because they’re absorbing any toxins from your body, but because they’re oxidizing. According to the Idaho Potato Commission, when raw potato slices are exposed to air, they can darken. Additionally, if the knife used to cut the potatoes contains iron, this can cause the potatoes to blacken as well. WCNC asked a doctor, Dr. Karla Robinson, about if the detox claim holds any weight, to which she confirmed there isn’t evidence of it being true.